Related Experiment Videos
["Crazy bitch!"-Experienced aggression and violence in the daily clinical routine of pediatricians]
Antje Dresen1, Susan Lee1, Holger Pfaff1
1Institut für Medizinsoziologie, Versorgungsforschung und Rehabilitationswissenschaften (IMVR), Universität/Uniklinik Köln, Eupener Straße 129, 50933 Köln, Deutschland.
Insights
Aggression and violence against pediatricians by parents are increasing, with most doctors experiencing insults and threats. This highlights the urgent need for prevention strategies like communication and de-escalation training in children
Area of Science:
- Pediatric healthcare.
- Medical professional well-being.
- Healthcare workplace violence.
Context:
- Aggression and violence towards doctors in children's hospitals are rising.
- These incidents often occur during emotionally charged situations involving a child's illness.
- The study focuses on the experiences of pediatricians in their daily hospital work.
Purpose:
- To investigate the extent of aggressive and violent behavior experienced by pediatricians.
- To analyze trends in aggression from 2009 to 2017.
- To understand the forms and frequency of these aggressive encounters.
Summary:
- Nationwide surveys in 2009 and 2017 revealed that approximately 80% of pediatricians experienced aggressive actions from parents or relatives.
- The perceived relevance of aggressive behavior in daily work increased significantly from 51.9% in 2009 to 71.0% in 2017.
- Pediatricians reported a median of 4.0 aggressive incidents annually, ranging from insults to physical violence.
Impact:
- Aggression and violence are frequent occurrences in pediatric wards, encompassing a spectrum from verbal abuse to physical altercations.
- There is a clear demand for enhanced prevention strategies, including specialized training in communication and de-escalation techniques.
- Addressing workplace violence is crucial for maintaining a safe and effective healthcare environment for pediatric professionals.
Background:
The indications for experienced aggression and violence towards doctors in children's hospitals are increasing and are the focus of this study. They are reported in contact with parents or relatives in emotionally highly charged situations caused by their child's illness. This empirical study investigated the extent to which experienced aggressive and violent behavior has been received by pediatricians in their everyday work in hospitals.
Methods:
Data from two previously unpublished nationwide surveys in 2009 (n = 160) and 2017 (n = 190) were analyzed. Using the same questionnaire, the forms of aggressive action, such as exerting pressure, insulting, threatening physical violence, attempting to use violence and actually using violence as well as the descriptions of the associated situations were questioned. The wording of the insults and the type of threat could be specified via open questions.
Results:
Approximately four out of five respondents said they have been the target of an aggressive action by parents or relatives. In 2017 approximately 3 out of 4 respondents (71.0%) considered the problem of aggressive behavior to be relevant to their everyday work compared to only every second respondent (51.9%) in 2009. Individual respondents reported up to 60 situations, in both survey waves at a median of 4.0 times per year.
Conclusion:
Experienced aggression and violence are often and increasingly part of everyday clinical life in the pediatric wards, ranging from insults to physical violence. Prevention strategies, such as preventive training for communication and de-escalation are explicitly desired.